Joseph's "Just My Thoughts"

Investment techniques involve converting labor income into financial income. In other words, it means purchasing an asset with money earned through labor so that the asset generates profit. But since assets are inanimate, how can they produce income? The answer is that you can profit from an asset’s changing value. You cannot profit if the value remains constant. If there were no volatility in assets, people would have to rely solely on labor to earn money. The issue is that you don’t buy assets that increase in value; you buy assets that decrease in value. Therefore, if you lack the perspective to judge the world, you should abandon the dream of building wealth through assets. - Joseph’s “just my thoughts”

An asset is the foundation of all economic activity. If you have assets, you can run a business and settle your debts. The ways to create assets are ‘how one works,’ ‘how to receive gifts from others,’ and ‘how to purchase assets made by others.’ There is a way to steal, but it is a crime. If you don’t initially own an asset, the simplest and almost the only way to create one is to produce something with your own labor. Whether the product is a service or a good, it must be produced unconditionally. Trading products creates added value. Thinking about trading later and making products first is the fastest and most basic way to escape poverty. Therefore, produce even the smallest things every day. Knowledge, records, art—whatever! - Joseph’s “just my thoughts”

We usually think of “investment” as giving effort or money to someone. But investing is more about exchanging what you have for some value, and the object of the investment has some worth rather than just giving something away. Some exchanged values can be monetary or moral. If I swap my cash for moral and social benefits, it becomes a religious or social contribution. However, if the object of exchange is an asset with a specific monetary value or potential for profit, it is an economic investment . The world is designed to facilitate some form of value exchange . The main idea of investing is to trade low volatility for high volatility and then switch back to low volatility over time. The former is called an investment, and the latter is called an exit . Cash tends to be less volatile, while stocks and digital coins are very volatile. By exchanging assets with small volatility , stability is maintained, but wealth is not necessarily increased. - Joseph’s “just my thoughts”

No matter how smart you are, if you don’t exchange values , you’ll starve to death. For one thing, being self-sufficient enables survival, but self-sufficiency is only possible if you have your own assets and can borrow from others. However, even with existing assets, one can only survive through minimal labor and effort, which means engaging in productive activities . Thus, having great intelligence and applying that intelligence to productive activities are two different things. Even if you aren’t brilliant, you can survive if you are productive. It’s essential to identify the productive activities in which I excel and those where I need improvement. If I understand that, I must act without looking back. - Joseph ’s “just my thoughts”

Non-cash Temperament Assets . Words I made up. Whether you are running a business or making a living, there are situations where money cannot solve everything. Not money or knowledge, but a person’s personality, disposition, intentions, emotions, etc., often shape circumstances and results. No matter how good an idea is, if it is not put into action, it is useless. It takes will and courage to act. Such will, courage, and passion are vital temperaments for tackling areas that money cannot address, and they seem to represent a kind of asset that yields results in accounting. Sometimes, audacity is required to achieve something, along with courage that knowledge alone cannot provide. Our lives cannot be successful solely with money and expertise. Investors should be mindful of the temperament of others . - Joseph’s “just my thoughts”

Being wealthy means your assets grow larger, and their value increases too. The purpose of all economic activity is to secure assets. The more assets you have, the more opportunities you create. Assets represent the total of what one owns and borrows from others. In other words, it is the complete amount of resources available for earning time. Resources serve as the foundation for acquiring additional resources. It’s like using small earthworms as bait to catch fish. Thus, it is said that money makes money. This is referred to as financial income . Income is primarily categorized into earned income and financial income. If you have a substantial earned income but lack financial income, you are more likely to face poverty in the future. - Joseph’s “just my thoughts”

Time is wiser and smarter than humans. The reason a regular income is necessary for escaping poverty is to fully utilize time’s value . If a person without a regular income invests, they must invest with money they cannot afford to wait for, which forces them to spend the investment funds while waiting for the right opportunity. This may lead to missing a good investment. If the person has already invested, they might not be able to wait to recoup their investment , resulting in debt to others . Individuals who struggle to use their time effectively due to insufficient assets must generate a regular income unconditionally . The reason for having ample assets is to buy time . - Joseph’s “just my thoughts”

Courage and brazenness , which ordinary humans often lack, are essential assets for beggars . Courage —especially the kind that others cannot easily afford —holds significant value. This value stems from the essence of courage itself rather than its rarity. We need brazenness when we owe others for a time, yet we must act for ourselves, even at the cost of feeling remorse . Thus, intangible assets like courage and brazenness can replace tangible assets such as cash. Let’s not despair over our lack of material possessions. This does not imply that we should be beggars ; rather, it suggests that there are many models in the world to follow . - Joseph’s “just my thoughts”

Crisis overcoming and development both begin with “what I have,” not “what I have lost.” “What I have” consists of [everything I possess now, including what I lent to others] minus [what I’ve borrowed from others], [what I’ve inherited], [what I’ve received as gifts], and [what I’ve taken unlawfully]. [What I have] + [What I’ve inherited] + [What I’ve received as gifts] is referred to as [own assets] or [net assets], additionally includes [something I borrowed], and subtracting [something stolen] in my possession, it is called [asset]. To pay off the liabilities (debts), you must have [net assets] or possess [something I borrowed from others]. The only other way to do this is to repay with [something I stole], but it’s a crime. The ultimate goal of any business activity is to acquire [assets]. - Joseph’s “just my thoughts”

Credit not only reduces costs and expenses, but it also boosts revenues; none of the economic resources compares to this. According to World Bank senior researchers Stephen Knack and Philip Keefer, a 10% increase in the confidence index would lead to an average annual economic growth rate increase of 0.8%. Individuals who lack trust and only seek financial gain are more likely to be ruined by money. While credit is an abstract concept, we must not forget that it remains one of the few valuable assets influencing our lives. - Joseph’s “just my thoughts”

Emotions are valuable. Depending on the timing and the emotions you express, you can overcome blocked negotiations and receive positive responses from your loved ones. However, if handled poorly, they can undermine positive outcomes. Thus, emotions are crucial assets. This is why it’s essential to always consider how your feelings impact others. - Joseph’s “just my thoughts”

Warren Buffett’s assets were once estimated at $82 billion. 90% of these assets have been earned by Warren Buffett since he turned 65. The way to make money over time without labor is through finance; it’s an interest. One of the most economically effective methods is ‘compounding.’ This involves deriving interest from the principal and then earning interest again on the total of the interest and principal, continually repeating this process, making compounding the most efficient money-making method discovered by humanity. The same applies to stock investments; to achieve this compounding effect, you need to earn at least a 4% annual return. However, this is only valid for long-term investments like those of Warren Buffett. - Joseph’s “just my thoughts”